


Making friends and influencing science

by Soraya (soraya2004), soraya2004



Series: Snippets from the "His Bodyguard" universe [4]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Pining John Sheppard, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-11-23
Updated: 2010-11-23
Packaged: 2017-10-15 00:32:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/155210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soraya2004/pseuds/Soraya, https://archiveofourown.org/users/soraya2004/pseuds/soraya2004
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Takes place during <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/155193/chapters/1036486">His Bodyguard - Chapter 2</a></p>
    </blockquote>





	Making friends and influencing science

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place during [His Bodyguard - Chapter 2](http://archiveofourown.org/works/155193/chapters/1036486)

Like any community, Cheyenne Mountain had its secrets and it secret ways of greasing the wheels. News spread that McKay had his detail back, and that his labs were no longer a 'no go area'; and soon McKay went back to being acerbic but manageable, while John was left grappling with feelings that seemed completely unmanageable. He dealt with the pressure every day, every time he saw McKay and had to pretend that he wasn't dreaming about touching every inch of McKay's skin or what it would be like to have McKay touch him. And despite the toll it was taking, slowly he began to appreciate that handling McKay brought with it some unexpected benefits.

When a stranger came up to him in the showers one day and said, "Hey, so I hear you're a friend of science," he just stared at the guy and tried not to give anything away. He'd been accused of being a 'friend of Dorothy' before, but he didn't know if this was some secret Cheyenne Mountain way of cruising that he'd never heard of. In the military, a guy could never be too careful about things like that. So, he let his shoulders do some non-committal twitching.

 _This_ guy, however, who was clearly _not_ military and who didn't seem to get the need for discretion, kept on _maybe trying to cruise him_.

It made him a little uncomfortable having that happen in such a public place. Even though they were alone, the whole thing felt reckless somehow, and not just because some stranger was two steps away from outing him. This wasn't something he did any more: risking his career for meaningless sex. There were too many eyes on him waiting for him to slip up, waiting to break his team apart. And even thinking about losing McKay again, over something so stupid, made him sweat under the water's spray.

He finished up fast, hoping to ditch the guy by leaving him behind in the showers. Of course, the guy followed him all the way to his locker, still intent on the one-sided conversation.

"So, it's true—" a statement now instead of a question. "You _are_ a friend of science!"

"Who told you that?" John asked cagily.

The guy snorted then, a sharp incredulous sound, and for a moment John thought quite seriously about punching something. Why the hell did everyone assume he was gay? He knew he hadn't done anything suspicious this time around; what the fuck kept giving him away?

He was still puzzling that out when the guy said, "Okay, look, I was hoping we could come to some sort of an arrangement," making him realize this conversation would never end unless _he_ did something to stop it.

The problem was, he had no idea what would work on Mr. Relentless here. Running wasn't an option, mostly because he didn't want to be a complete asshole about someone else's feelings. More than anyone, he knew what it was like to want someone who didn't necessarily feel the same way. Since _this_ guy didn't look too crazy, he thought the nice thing to do would be to flirt back a little before letting him down gently. "What did you have in mind?" he asked, putting it out there with all his laid-back charm.

"Well, I've heard you like toys—"

At which point both his eyes tried to leap out of their sockets.

"—but that's a little out of my comfort zone, so I don't think that would work."

The guy kept on talking, seemingly unaware that he'd just lost his audience. But that was okay, John decided, trying to keep it together through the flaming rush of embarrassment. That was perfectly okay, because he needed time to calm the fuck down and to figure out where the hell this guy was getting his information!

He started getting dressed, going slowly through the motions, using the routine to clear his mind and to settle his nerves. But at some point, words started filtering through again, strange words, words that made no fucking sense at all. He heard the guy say, "Trust me, major, it's one of a kind and I can give it to you. What about that, huh? Do we have a deal?" And rather than admit how lost he was, he chose to respond with another one of his blank stares.

The guy seemed to mistake his confusion for a ruthless negotiation tactic, because he then said: "Okay, okay, I'll give you two!" Then, the guy glanced over his shoulder in a way that made John realize this fucker had been trying to low-ball him. About _what_ , though, he _still_ didn't have a clue.

Still, the idea that _this_ total stranger felt he could trick him kind of pissed him off. So, _he_ went back with: "Make it four, and you've got a deal!" throwing a little 'homicidal maniac' into blank stare number three.

Shower Guy, as he'd decided to call him, started huffing with what sounded like righteous indignation. "Four? Are you insane? That's extortion!"

"Hey, you came to me," John pointed out, enjoying himself now. Although he _did_ wince when Shower Guy waved him off in a way that was oddly reminiscent of McKay. That he was even thinking about Rodney while _maybe getting cruised_ told him a lot about his state of mind. The problem was, it wasn't a great message to hear.

Unsettled, John rubbed at the back of his neck, suddenly quite tired of this game. Whatever Shower Guy was offering, he wanted no part of it; in truth, he just wanted the fuck out of there fast. Since he couldn't see a lot of options right then, he went with a 'strategic retreat', doing his best ignore Shower Guy's look of panic as he headed for the door. Somehow, though, and to his eternal shame, the sneaky little bastard managed to cut him off before he could get there.

" _Jesus_ , okay, you win," and the huffing now was the sound of Shower Guy throwing in the towel. "I still need him to listen; you can do that, right? I guess that's all I can hope for, huh? Even with you bending me over a barrel for _four_!"

He never got the chance to find out what he'd won because Shower Guy stalked off, leaving him there confused and wondering what the hell had just happened.

***

The puzzle of four baffled him for most of the evening, during which he spent a long time asking himself how some random guy had made him in the first place, _and_ more importantly what the hell this guy thought he was in to. He didn't put all the pieces together until he was escorting McKay back from the canteen the following day.

***

All things considered, he should have known something would happen. Things had been too quiet on McKay's detail lately, and he was getting a little complacent—the whole team was. But he had McKay all to himself for once and didn't have to share him with anyone else. So, he got a bit distracted watching McKay's attempt to walk, talk and fellate a Popsicle at the same time.

"Fuck me," he actually whimpered out loud as McKay went down all the way before easing back to suck on the tip.

Not that McKay seemed to hear anything above the sound of his own slurping. Long, wet, sucking sounds which shouldn't have been remotely sexy, but which left _his_ pants feeling several sizes too small.

Then, to make matters worse, McKay decided to lick his fingers clean before pointing them at him in ways he couldn't ignore. Because now McKay's fingers were glistening near his face, taking his mind to places where they were wet from _his_ mouth, where _he_ got to suck on them whenever he wanted. Just thinking about that made his mouth water; and when McKay did the finger-pointing thing again, he couldn't take it any more.

He leant over, telling himself there were several plausible explanations for why he was about to fall over and end up accidentally sucking on McKay's fingers. And he was seconds away from doing something ridiculous when Shower Guy popped up seemingly out of nowhere to ambush them like a pro.

"Dr. McKay," Shower Guy sneered, "I hope you've had time to reconsider my proposal."

McKay grunted something that sounded a lot like 'fuck off', but it was possible he was just projecting.

In any case, Shower Guy didn't seem deterred by whatever McKay had said to him. Instead, he started complaining about some project he was working on. Which promptly set McKay off on his own rant. From there, it turned into a lightening-fast bitch-fest underscored by some stupendous techno-babble, all of which, frankly, he chose to ignore in favour of watching McKay get all hot and bothered.

By the time McKay drew an end to the argument with a sharp: "No! That's so unbelievably wrong, it's the wrongest thing I've heard!" he was feeling kind of hot and bothered himself. Even better, McKay had that tense look about the shoulders again, the kind that meant they needed to get rubbed at once or else McKay would be a nightmare for the rest of the day.

He reached out, grateful that he at least got to touch McKay like this every once in a while, even if it did make him feel like a lovesick fool. And when his hands finally made contact, he literally had to bite back a moan. God, McKay felt good, so good he never wanted to stop touching him. And it was hard not to let his hands wander a little, down the curve of McKay's spine and up again, all the way up the back of McKay's neck, until his fingers were stroking more than kneading, teasing their way through the hair at McKay's nape.

After a while, he noticed Shower Guy staring at him, eyes narrow and accusing. He decided to ignore it. As much as he didn't want to hurt the guy's feelings, no one stood a chance next to McKay.

Unfortunately, Shower Guy didn't seem to get that at all, and he said, "Major Sheppard agrees with me, don't you, major?" like the mood-destroying son of a bitch he was. "He and I were talking about this yesterday, and the major really liked my idea."

Before he could even come up with a response, McKay had already turned on him, eyes blazing. "Sheppard, is that true?"

John frowned, still trying to figure out what the fuck was happening.

"I can't believe you discussed this with him!"

"McKay—"

"No, really, because his ideas are so stupid, they're hardly worth my time. Yet, somehow you found the time to discuss them with _him_?"

At the end, McKay's voice went very soft, as though McKay was hurt that he'd been talking to someone else. Which didn't make any sense to him at all, since he spoke to people all the time. Still, that was definitely McKay's sad face on display, and as usual _his_ heart responded by trying to twist its way out of his chest.

"Rodney," he whispered, reaching for him again. But he couldn't tell if McKay had heard him, since the next words out of McKay's mouth were aimed at Shower Guy.

"I'm sure it'll be a complete waste of my time," McKay snarled, back at his venomous best. "But I suppose I could look at your proposal again. God only knows why Sheppard finds your theories interesting!"

John, still not sure where he came into this, decided not to butt in for once. The whole experience made him feel a little dirty, especially when Shower Guy finally saw fit to piss off, smiling and waving two 'thumbs up'. He didn't get what the deal was between McKay and that guy, but he could tell it wasn't good. Most of all, he didn't get why McKay suddenly wasn't talking to him any more.

***

Things didn't get any easier back in the labs.

McKay continued to not talk to him despite his attempts to annoy McKay into conversation, and John, who could only take so much stress, began to crack under the pressure. He moped around for a while, watching McKay do science-y things, until it became clear that his usual bullshit wouldn't work. After that, he just sat down next to McKay, feeling a little out of his depth.

"So, that was weird," he said hesitantly, not sure what was going on in McKay's head or why that made him so nervous. All the signals McKay usually gave off were warped somehow by the cloud of silence. Even the powerbar he'd whipped out to tempt McKay didn't seem to have any effect.

Minutes later, McKay still hadn't said a word, and had in fact taken to glaring at him with a betrayed expression.

Inexplicably, John felt compelled to defend himself. "Rodney," he started off calmly, only to get louder and more defensive when McKay responded with a raised chin. "Listen, the guy came to me, okay? He did most of the talking; I barely said anything, I swear. It's not like I was . . . you know!" He didn't say the words 'cheating on you', which would have been ludicrous and insane. Yet somehow those words seemed to hang between them.

"So, you're not . . .?" McKay mumbled in the end, gesturing at him in some incomprehensible way.

"No," John insisted at once. He wasn't sure quite what he was insisting, but it seemed like the right thing to do, especially when some of the tension eased out of McKay's shoulders.

"Okay, good! That's good! Because it looked like—" and McKay did more of that incomprehensible gesturing.

John, feeling a little light-headed with relief, caught McKay's hand in his. There came a moment then where McKay went absolutely still, and where he tried to cover his slip with some manly coughing before sliding the previously ignored powerbar into McKay's hand. But in that moment, John got the strange impression that McKay wouldn't have minded if he'd held on a bit longer.

***

That night, John found four first edition Batman comics waiting for him inside his quarters, along with a 'Thank-you!' post-it note signed by some guy called Kowalski. It took him a while to connect them to Shower Guy, since he'd been trying his damnedest to forget the guy. But when he did work it out and what it meant, John couldn't help laughing. Something told him that, at Cheyenne Mountain, Shower Guy was only the tip of the iceberg, and that his future was going to have several more comic books in it.

 

The End.


End file.
